


How She Fell

by leandra1709



Category: Persona 3
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 01:06:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18906385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leandra1709/pseuds/leandra1709
Summary: Minako never really gave much thought to Akihiko, until a series of events made them grow close.





	How She Fell

Akihiko Sanada would have been the last guy Minako Arisato would imagine herself falling for. It wasn't that she saw every guy she met as prey, but she had a habit of falling in love when she created a close bond with someone.   
She had become close friends with Junpei, seeing as he was the first one in the dorm who made a real attempt to befriend her. He was cute, funny, caring, but unfortunately did not see her as more than a platonic friend. She was still glad to have him in her life, he was the one who stood up for her dignity when someone was taking dirty photos of her.  
When she first met Akihiko, she assumed he and Mitsuru were in a relationship, since the both of them had been members of SEES together before the rest of the team assembled. Her assumption of them going out fell apart when they failed to... go out. Mitsuru was busy with her academics, and Akihiko was busy with his training and schooling. He did not try making much conversation with Minako when they saw each other in the dorm, so she never went out of her way to chat him up. At school he was constantly surrounded by a horde of fangirls, so Minako kept to herself. She didn't need to compete with another girl, or girls, for one guy's attention.   
Akihiko was out of commission for a few weeks when he injured himself, and by the time he came back, Minako had already made friends with a few people. They did bump into each other at the dorm once shortly after he came back. Both of them were heading to the vending machine for a snack to help with their studying. Minako stood back quietly, waiting for Akihiko to make his selection. Once she saw which button his finger was headed for, she gasped.  
He turned quickly to look at her, concern in his expression, "Are you okay?"  
"Ah," she blushed and looked down, "sorry. You were just choosing the snack I wanted, and there's only one left..."  
"Oh..." Akihiko paused for a moment before pressing the same button.  
Minako felt slightly annoyed that he ignored what she said, until he held his hand out to her. In it was the snack she had wanted.  
"Huh?" Minako tilted her head to the side.  
Akihiko couldn't make eye contact with her, and was blushing slightly, "H-Here. You wanted this, right? It's on me, don't worry about it."  
It took a moment to process what was going on, but Minako gingerly took it from his hand, "Thank you, senpai."  
Akihiko chose a different snack and walked back to his room. Minako's perception of him changed slightly after that. Maybe he wasn't stuck up. Maybe he was just shy around other people. She shrugged it off and stopped thinking about it.

The Full Moon mission that set them at the love hotel district was the next direct interaction she had with Akihiko.   
She asked Yukari, Junpei, and Akihiko to go with her to find the boss Shadow that was causing problems that night. Eventually the Shadow tried to cloud their minds, telling them to give in to temptation. Minako was given a very clear idea of what kind of temptation it wanted her to fall into, and even though she tried to fight it, she ended up in its trap.  
She woke up in one of the hotel's rooms, with just a towel wrapped around her body. Steam was coming out of the bathroom, and she heard the sound of water running from a shower. The water was turned off, and she was nervous to see who would walk out.  
"It's your turn," Akihiko said as he walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping down his body.  
Minako felt herself blush at the sight. She had never really felt attracted to him before, but seeing him like that...  
He seemed to suddenly snap back to reality, "Oh god, what am I saying...? Where are we...?"  
She pulled the towel tighter around her chest, "I think... it's a trap."  
He nodded, "You're probably right. Um," he coughed and looked away, "your clothes are in there if you want to get dressed..."  
She quickly got up and closed herself in the bathroom. Before she got dressed, she processed what had happened.   
"Akihiko-senpai..."  
He had a chance to take advantage of her, (assuming they didn't do anything under the influence of the Shadow), but he didn't.   
Her heart fluttered. He really was a kind person.   
She got dressed and came back out to him being dressed as well.   
He looked flustered and couldn't make eye contact again, "Um, sorry about that. I didn't know what was going on and-"  
"It's okay, it happened to me, too," she reassured him that she wasn't mad.  
A sigh of relief came out of him, "Thanks. I wouldn't want you to think I would take advantage of you like that."  
She nodded quietly, hands behind her back.  
"Well, let's get out of here and find the others. I'll try to protect you better so this doesn't happen again. Just stay behind me."  
Minako's heart fluttered again from his words. Through the rest of the mission, Akihiko stayed true to his words about protecting her. She noticed how handsome he was, and how strong he was as well. No wonder tons of girls fell for him. But they didn't know this side of him. That was hers alone to know.

When school resumed, Minako searched around the building to find where Akihiko hung out after class. She found him on the first floor, in the recreational classes hallway. She started to walk up to him, but could feel the stabbing glares of other jealous girls watching her. Akihiko was alone, reading a book and leaning against the wall, but it felt like there was a barrier.  
Minako pushed through and walked up to him, smiling, "Senpai!"  
He jumped slightly and blushed when he saw her, "Oh, Minako. I thought you would normally have headed home by now."  
She tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes and smiling still, "I was thinking... We never really talk that much. I just wanted to come talk to you."  
Akihiko closed his book and put it in his bag, lifting it up over his shoulder, "You're right. I'm a bit hungry, do you want to go grab something to eat with me?"  
Minako was still a bit shocked at how warm and welcoming he was. If this was a few weeks ago, she would have assumed that he would have shrugged her off for one of his million fangirls, who probably got switched out every other day.   
"Ah... yes," was the squeaky reply that came from her. She could feel the air around them getting tense, from the jealousy of nearby girls.   
"Let me take you to my favorite restaurant," he told her as they started walking away together.   
Minako felt eyes from all over the school on her, but ignored it to enjoy Akihiko's company.   
True to his word, Akihiko took her to his favorite restaurant. He got a big bowl of ramen, and she ordered a beef bowl with rice. They chatted about everyday life and joked about their secret double life. At one point, Minako noticed Akihiko staring at her intensely.  
"Senpai?"  
He leaned forward, staring at her lips.  
Her face turned red and she swallowed, closing her eyes.   
"You had a piece of rice on your mouth," Akihiko stated, holding the offending grain of rice between his fingers.  
"O-Oh! Um, thank you," she felt embarrassed for assuming he would kiss her. Especially in a public place like this... What was she even thinking? Why would he want to kiss her?   
He put the piece of rice in his mouth, and she blushed again, "Senpai?!"  
"Do you have a disease or something I should know about?" Akihiko looked completely serious.  
"N-No, it's just," she stammered, "um, never mind."  
They finished their meals, still talking about light hearted topics, but Minako could feel something in her heart changing towards him.

It became a daily ritual for her to seek him out at school after class got out, and they would go out to eat together. Each day, the stares and rumors multiplied, but she was genuinely enjoying getting to know him. He seemed happy to be in her company, and she realized that he was always alone, not constantly interacting with other girls, like she initially thought.  
One of the days they had gone out to eat together, a couple of his fangirls showed up, and tried to scare Minako away.   
"Why are you even spending time with her, Sanada-senpai? She's Junpei's girlfriend. We're single, you should have lunch with us!"  
Akihiko was irritated by the interruption, "I don't even know you. If I want to spend time with her, it's none of your business. Either you leave, or we leave."  
The girls disappeared, shocked by how direct he had been.  
Once they were gone, he sighed, "I'm sorry about that. I have no idea who they are, or why they even care that I'm with you right now."  
Minako nodded, "Well... Thank you for standing up for me. It means a lot."  
Akihiko stared down at his plate, fiddling with his napkin. He finally turned and looked at her, "...Are you Junpei's girlfriend?"  
"Huh? No," she stated, "we're good friends, but nothing more."  
He nodded, "That's good." He noticed her confused expression, and stammered to correct himself, "I-I mean, it's good that I'm not taking someone else's girlfriend out. I don't care who you date, or anything, but..." he trailed off, not knowing where he was going with that sentence.  
Minako stood up and held her hand out to him, "Let's go home, senpai."  
Akihiko took her hand and stood up with her. They began walking home, still holding hands.  
Realizing that they were walking home while holding hands, Akihiko seemed to panic, "Oh! Uh." He pulled his hand away quickly, then grabbed her hand again just as quickly. "It it okay for me to hold your hand? It's not like I don't want to- I mean, I don't want to- I mean-"  
She giggled, "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Don't think about it or say anything about it."  
He continued holding her hand in a peaceful silence.   
She felt... safe with him. He had big hands, with long, slender fingers, and somewhat rough skin. Probably from using his hands so much for training. She liked that he had something he was passionate about. He took his training very seriously, but he somehow still made room for her. She had become something important in his life.

Sometimes when they walked around together, they held hands. Akihiko's excuse was that he wanted to make sure she kept up with him and didn't get lost. She never objected to it, she liked having physical contact with him.  
The rumors spread at school about the two of them.   
'Did you hear Akihiko-senpai has a girlfriend now?'  
'What, her? Ew, no way. She's weird.'  
'She's ugly, too. I bet he's only with her because she puts out for him.'  
Minako was aware of the rumors, but let them roll off of her. Akihiko wasn't that cool headed with it, and he often apologized to her about it, asking if she wanted to stop hanging out with him. Her answer was always no.  
One day she was heading over to his usual spot in the school building, she overheard him talking to a couple of his fangirls.  
"But senpai, what's so great about her? Why don't you ask someone else out?"  
Minako stayed out of sight, leaning against the wall where she could listen but not be seen.  
Akihiko sounded irritated, "Why does it matter to everyone at this school? I only know a few people here personally, but my life gets broadcasted constantly. I'll be with her if I want to. Deal with it or don't, I don't care."  
"Senpai, why are you being so cruel?"  
"Because I don't care about you. Minako is the only one I care about."  
The girls decided to flee instead of fight, and when they passed the hidden Minako, they glared daggers at her.  
She simply waved at them and smiled.  
Akihiko sighed and walked around the corner, getting startled by her standing there, "Oh, I was actually about to go look for you. Did you hear any of that?"  
She thought about saying no, but decided honesty was the best thing for a relationship with someone, "Yes, I did."  
He groaned and rubbed his head with his hand, "Sorry. I don't know why people think they know me, when they don't know me at all. I feel like you're the only one that does..."  
Minako's big brown eyes stared into his. They could feel that connection, but before anything happened, Akihiko asked her, "Will you come to the roof with me?"  
She obliged and they went on the roof of the school building together. Akihiko leaned against the metal fence protecting them from falling. Minako joined him, and they stood in silence.  
"It's funny," he spoke up, "I met you not too long ago, but we're already so close. You know so much about me, and I know so much about you." He looked at her, "And you accept me for who I am."  
Minako stared out across the town below them, "Of course."  
"I've... never had anyone like that in my life. I've never been close to anyone like I am with you. I feel so calm, so happy. I can't imagine my life without you," Akihiko's eyes looked away.  
Minako took a sharp breath and gripped the railing tightly. Her heart was beating a hundred miles an hour.  
"Minako, I don't really understand this feeling. I've never had it for anyone else."  
...  
"It sounds like you're in love," she said quietly.  
There was a moment of silence, before Akihiko chuckled, "Love, huh? I guess that sounds about right." He put his hand over hers, causing her to look at him. "I love you, Minako."  
She froze, but it felt like her veins were running hot all over her body. She tried to speak but the words wouldn't come.  
"I love you, and I want to be with you," he continued, "I want you to be all mine. Will you be my girl?"  
Her mouth dropped open and she still couldn't speak. Akihiko started to look nervous and almost took his hand away, but she uttered, "Yes. I love you, too, senpai."  
He grabbed her and embraced her, holding her close against him, "I'm so happy. You make me so happy." Realizing he was touching her, he backed away, "I'm sorry if that was too much. I just got so ecstatic."  
Minako shook her head, "No, I want you to hold me like that..." She moved back up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Akihiko held her again and kissed the top of her head.  
"Senpai..."  
"I don't want you to call me 'senpai' anymore. Call me Aki."  
"Aki..." she said quietly, blushing furiously. It was a simple thing, but it becamen extremely intimate. Her face was buried in his chest, so he couldn't see how red she was.  
"Minako," he said, making her look up at him. He leaned in and kissed her softly. She returned the kiss. Akihiko ran his fingers through her hair, and mumbled, "Let's make a new life together, just for the two of us."  
Minako nodded.

**Author's Note:**

> Funnily enough, this was very similar to how I became fond of Akihiko. I had him appear in the Love Hotel mission with FeMC, and then I wondered what type of romantic interest he would be. Needless to say, they're one of my favorite pairings now.


End file.
